Academics

Overview of USTEP

1. Summary

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The University of Tokyo (UTokyo) accepts exchange students from partner universities with which the University has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding concerning student exchange. Exchange students can choose between the Type U and Type G programs.

The Type U program is designed for undergraduate students to take various courses given in English and/or Japanese in Faculties and College in accordance with their English and/or Japanese language proficiency.

The Type G program is designed for graduate students. Type G participants will belong to one of the Graduate Schools which they applied for and be able to take various courses or conduct research under the guidance of faculty members.
 

2. Features of Type U & Type G

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  Type U Type G
Eligible Students Undergraduate Graduate
Students belong to Center for Global Education Graduate School to which they are admitted
Courses Take regular English and/or Japanese courses across various Faculties and College [Special Auditor] Take regular English and/or Japanese courses offered by the Graduate School to which they belong
Research guidance N/A [Special Research Student] Conduct research under the guidance of a faculty advisor
Language requirement English and/or Japanese
*A minimum TOEFL iBT score of 90, IELTS overall band score of 6.5, Cambridge English Qualifications "C1 Advanced" or JLPT level N1.
 
*TOEFL iBT Home Edition,  IELTS Indicator and IELTS Online are accepted.
*TOEFL iBT “MyBest scores” is not accepted.
*TOEFL iBT and IELTS scores are valid only if dated within two years of the USTEP application deadline
English and/or Japanese
*Application requirements vary by Graduate School.

For more details on Type U and Type G, please refer to their websites:

3. Partner Universities (student exchanges administered by the Center of Global Education)

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 Country/Region Partner University
Asia China Fudan University
Nankai University
Nanjing University
Peking University
Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Tsinghua University
Zhejiang University
Hong Kong The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)
The University of Hong Kong
Indonesia Gadjah Mada University
University of Indonesia
Malaysia University of Malaya
Philippines University of the Philippines
Republic of Korea Korea University
Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH)
Seoul National University
Yonsei University
Singapore Nanyang Technological University
National University of Singapore
Taiwan National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University
National Taiwan University
Thailand Chulalongkorn University
Central and South America Brazil University of São Paulo
Chile The Pontifical Catholic University of Chile
The University of Chile
Mexico El Colegio de México
The National Autonomous University of Mexico
North America Canada McGill University
University of British Columbia
University of Toronto
University of Victoria
United States of America Johns Hopkins University
Northeastern University
Princeton University
Swarthmore College
University of California, Santa Cruz
University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign
University of Washington
Yale University (Yale Fox International Fellowship Program)
Oceania Australia Australian National University
Monash University
The University of Adelaide
The University of Melbourne
The University of Queensland
The University of Sydney
The University of New South Wales
New Zealand The University of Auckland
University of Otago
 Middle East Israel The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Turkey Bogazici University
Europe Denmark University of Copenhagen
Finland University of Helsinki
France École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS)
École Polytechnique
Institut d'etudes politiques de Paris (SciencesPo)
The Université Grenoble Alpes
University of Strasbourg
Germany Free University of Berlin
Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich
University of Cologne
Ireland Trinity College Dublin, University of Dublin
University College Dublin
Italy Sapienza University of Rome
Netherlands Leiden University
University of Groningen
Russia Saint Petersburg State University
Spain Autonomous University of Madrid
Sweden KTH Royal Institute of Technology
Lund University
Stockholm University
Uppsala University
Switzerland Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETH Zurich)
University of Geneva
University of Zurich
United Kingdom Durham University
School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London
The University of Glasgow
The University of Manchester
The University of Sheffield
University College London
University of Exeter
University of Southampton
The University of Warwick
London School of Economics and Political Science

4. FAQs

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Application

Eligibility
Q1. My university is not listed on the USTEP site as a partner university. Can I still apply?
A1. No. UTokyo accepts exchange students only from partner universities with which the University has a Memorandum of Understanding concerning university-wide student exchange. Applications to USTEP will be accepted through the partner universities’ offices responsible for student exchange. However, your university may have College/Faculty-level exchange agreement(s) with UTokyo. Please consult your home institution.
Q2. I would like to participate in the Type U during my first (or second) year in a 4-year bachelor's program. Am I eligible?
A2. No. The Type U students will be registered in the Senior Division of UTokyo, which is for the 3rd and 4th year undergraduate students. Thus in a four-year degree program, students must have completed 2 years of study at their home institutions before coming to UTokyo. For students enrolled in three-year undergraduate programs, they must have finished at least 1.5-year of the program at the time of their arrival at UTokyo.

Letters of reference
Q3. Who should write my letter of reference?
A3.  The reference must be filled out by a full-time faculty member of the department you are currently affiliated with. It should, in other words, be filled out by a faculty member who can assess your academic performance in your specialty/major and who has the authority to give official grades to students at your institution. The reference should not be filled out by a Japanese language faculty unless the student is specializing in the field. The reference cannot be filled out by a teaching assistant. Additional references are accepted as long as you provide the first reference in accordance with the requirement explained above.

Language and other requirements
Q4. I am a Type U (undergraduate) applicant. What is the language requirement?
A4. The Type U program requires exchange students to be proficient in English and/or Japanese, depending on the courses they wish to take.
Students who wish to take courses offered in English:
Unless they attend a university or have graduated from a high school where the medium of instruction is English, students must submit an official certificate of a minimum TOEFL iBT score of 90, IELTS overall band score of 6.5 or Cambridge English Qualifications "C1 Advanced". TOEFL iBT Home Edition, IELTS Indicator and IELTS Online are accepted. TOEFL iBT “MyBest scores” is not accepted. TOEFL iBT and IELTS scores are valid only if dated within two years of the USTEP application deadline.
Students who wish to take courses offered in Japanese:
Unless they have graduated from a high school where the medium of instruction is in Japanese, students must submit an official certificate of JLPT Level N1.
Q5. I am a Type G (graduate) applicant. Are there any language requirements?
A5. Each Graduate School has its own requirements for language proficiency and other conditions depending on your exchange student status, "Special Auditor" or "Special Research Student". For details, please refer to Prerequisites for USTEP Type G Applicants.

Course selection
Q6. I want to see the list of next year’s courses. When will it be available?
A6. Our online course catalog is updated in March.
Q7. The language of instruction for the course I wish to take at UTokyo is "Japanese/English". What does that mean?
A7. The language of instruction in "Japanese/English" indicates that the course is taught in both languages. Therefore, proficiency in both languages is required.
Q8. I want to receive course selection advice.
A8. You will receive such advice once you are admitted to USTEP, and you can modify your course list before registration.

Credits
Q9. How are the credits defined?
A9. At UTokyo, courses worth 2 credits consist of 13 weeks of 105-minute classes. The length of each class period may vary depending on college/faculty or graduate school. Please consult with your home university to see how those credits would be counted and whether the courses you wish to take would be transferable. 
 

Financial support

Scholarships
Q10. Are there scholarships available for USTEP students? How do I apply?
A10. Scholarships from other sources, such as the Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO), may be available. However, obtaining grants from JASSO is becoming more difficult each year. There is a possibility that we may not be able to provide the scholarship.
 
 

Student life

Housing
Q11. Is university housing guaranteed?
A11. No. Exchange students may apply for university housing. However, because of the limited number of facilities, housing cannot be guaranteed. The International Education Promotion Group at UTokyo will contact students with details about housing applications after their admission is granted. For further information, please visit our Housing Office website. http://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/administration/housing-office/index.html
 

Other

Q12. Does UTokyo offer any short-term, non-degree programs held in English?
A12. Every year, there are some short-term, non-degree programs offered in English for a limited number of students (subject to change). See: http://www.u-tokyo.ac.jp/en/prospective-students/special_programs.html
A new short-term program for summer called GUC (Global Unit Courses) started in the summer 2021.

5. Brochure

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6. Inquiries

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Please read our FAQs before sending an email. We are unable to reply to inquiries already addressed in the FAQs.

You can contact the international Education Promotion Group using the form linked below.
Please include the following information in your message:
[Home university]
[Current year (Type U or Type G)]
[Planned period of exchange at UTokyo]
[Major]
[(For Type G) Graduate School you would like to enroll in]


International Education Promotion Group Contact Form
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